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While fans and some clubs are expressing concerns about the deal to make Extra Innings exclusively available on DirecTV, at least one owner feels that MLB is getting unduly scrutinized for the proposed deal. As the Houston Chronicle reports:

More than 4,900 have signed a petition at www.petitiononline.com in opposition to the seven-year, $700 million deal with DirecTV (sample opinion: "This is more monopoly than Parker Brothers"), and even some MLB club executives have expressed concern about the proposal.

But not Astros owner Drayton McLane, who instead expressed concern Friday about "our good senator (Kerry), who wants to get an investigation. The NFL has done this with (DirecTV) and the NBA has done it, and all of a sudden baseball is the bad guy. ... Baseball is being held to a different standard."

Recall that in the instances mentioned, deals of exclusivity were done at the outset. MLB's deal places exclusivity around the deal after being made available on cable through InDemand, and on EchoStar's DishNetwork.